


The Farm (Working Title)

by misamori



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26648881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misamori/pseuds/misamori
Summary: Wren is a country boy that has spent most of his life in the city.  He inherited a farm and decided he'd want nothing more than to return to his roots and maybe place some of his own.
Relationships: Sebastian/Male Player (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 13





	The Farm (Working Title)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> So this is something I decided to write months (years? idk) ago when I was still...you know, decent at writing. I've decided to try and pick it up again, bc I love the outline I made and I've wanted to write a SDV fic for ages. 
> 
> Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of. <3

CHAPTER ONE

The place looked like shit. 

Wren’s caramel brown eyes scanned across the severely unkempt farmland as he turned slowly in a circle to take in as much as he could. Mayor Lewis was saying something to him about either the land or the house but Wren wasn’t listening. He couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that this was all _his._ All of it. As far as his eye could see, which incidentally wasn’t very far due to the insane amount of trees and brush in the way, but he knew how far the lands reached. He had fond memories of exploring the whole of it as a child. As he continued to look out at his new home he couldn’t help the wide grin that bloomed on his face. Finally, he turned to face the rundown cottage that he used to visit as a child. He expected it to be bad, having gone untended for so long after his grandfather’s passing, but this was worse than he’d imagined. The roof was covered in matted old leaves with several shingles missing. The windows were grimy and scratched and one of them appeared to be open just slightly. It looked jammed in a way that would obviously prevent it from closing all the way. The front deck was sunken in and looked likely to cave at the slightest pressure, so when Mayor Lewis began climbing the precarious looking stairs Wren stepped forward, his hand raising slightly. 

“You sure that’s uh..safe, Mr. Lewis?” he asked, his eyes sliding to the woman beside him as she chuckled. 

“It’s safe.” She said. She shook her head slightly and crossed her arms before turning to face Wren. “Still, you’ll want to fix her up. She could definitely use some TLC. That’s where I come in, you see --”

“Oh, save your pitch for later, Robin. Let the boy settle in first before you start trying to milk his wallet.” Mayor Lewis chided as he motioned for Wren to follow him up to the front door. 

“I’ve been in and out of here a few times over the last week or so, trying to get the place ready for you. I assure you the boards will last you a little while yet.” As if to prove his point the Mayor raised his leg slightly and stomped his foot down onto the decrepit boards below him. While the boards surprisingly did hold up, there was a thud off to their right, and when Wren peeked around the good mayor he could see that the railing for the stairs had fallen over. Robin didn’t even bother stifling her laugh. Mayor Lewis cleared his throat and leaned forward to push the front door open. 

“Now then, let me show you the inside…” He said as he stepped into the small cottage. Wren smirked over at Robin who was still giggling to herself but didn’t seem to be following them in. She turned on her heel and started towards the path to town. 

“Call me when you want _that_ fixed.” She called over her shoulder with a wave. Wren waved back and then turned to enter his new home. 

Wren took the first step inside the small cabin and breathed in deeply through his nose. 

“Smell that stale air…” He said with a contented sigh. Lewis turned and looked slightly abashed. 

“Well, I did try to air the place out a bit. You should have been here a week ago. It was much worse then, I can promise you.”

“No, no I like it. It’s familiar, I guess. Smells like Grandpa.” Wren explained as he made his way over to the fireplace. He knelt down and poked at the ashes. He used to sit there while his grandfather fussed around in the small kitchen to prepare them late night snacks when neither of them could sleep. It was always so relaxing, sitting by the warmth and listening to Grandpa work. He never had trouble sleeping afterwards. 

“He was a good man, your grandfather. Tough ol’ coot too, for sure.” Mayor Lewis said as he stroked his mustache with a faraway look in his eye. There was a brief silence before Wren slapped his knees and pushed himself back up to standing. 

“Well, I’d better get started, huh?” He said cheerfully as he made his way back out the front door. “Are the tools still under the porch? That’s where he kept them, right?” He called over his shoulder as Mayor Lewis hurried out of the house after him. 

“Well...yes, but are you sure you want to get started now? You must be exhausted from all that traveling. Why not start fresh in the morning?” 

“Nah, this’ll be good. Being cramped up on that bus for most of the day was torture. Besides, I’m way too excited to sleep now, so I might as well get a head start.” Wren replied as he reached down and tugged on the door to the small storage compartment under the porch. He had to tug it with a little more force then he was expecting to but he finally wrestled it open. 

“If you’re sure..” Mayor Lewis reached into his back pocket to pull out a small bag. “I was going to deliver these tomorrow morning but if you’re planning to get started I might as well give them to you now. It’s just a few parsnip seeds to get you going.” 

Wren grunted as he pulled the axe and scythe free from storage and then he turned to face Lewis, beaming from ear to ear. 

“Thanks, Mr. Lewis! I sure do appreciate it.” He reached out to take the bag from the mayor and then tucked them into the pocket of his jeans. With a final nod to the older man Wren turned and started off towards the first patch of overgrown weeds in his path. As Mr. Lewis made his way back to town Wren got to work on clearing the debris. 

* * *

“Good morning, Pierre.” Mayor Lewis smiled at the shopkeeper and tapped his fingers on the counter.

“Morning, Mayor Lewis. Got your taxes right here.” Pierre responded as he began rummaging around at an unseen shelf on his side of the counter. The door in the back of the shop that led to the rest of the home opened and Abigail stalked out with her mother trailing behind her. 

“I’m just saying, honey, I think you should try and get out more is all.” Caroline was saying to the back of her daughter’s head as Abigail kept moving forward.

“TYIF, Lewis.” The young girl said as she passed by. Caroline finally gave up on following behind her as Abigail passed through the front door, the bell jingling as the door slammed shut again. With a sigh, she turned towards Mr. Lewis and offered a small smile. 

“TYI...F?” Lewis asked, his thick brown quirked up.

“I think it means ‘thank Yoba it’s Friday”. I guess it’s something the kids are saying now? I’m not really sure, to be honest. It’s so hard to keep up with trends nowadays.” Caroline waved a dismissive hand and then started straightening the display shelf to the right of the counter. 

“Here you go.” Pierre said gruffly as he let a small purse fall onto the counter with a thud. “Want to count it?” He asked, his tone rough like it was actually a challenge instead of an honest question. There was a tense pause and then Lewis chuckled as he pocketed the coin purse. 

“Of course not. I would never have to count behind my good citizens. I trust you all, after all.” He said with a grin. Lewis was turning to leave when Pierre spoke again. 

“Say, when’s that new farmer supposed to be here? I’ve been eager for the new business.” 

Mayor Lewis turned back and looked at the shopkeeper, clearly puzzled. 

“He hasn’t been here? He got in on Monday, I thought for sure he’d have come into town by now.” Pierre only shrugged in response. 

“We haven’t seen him.” He replied as he began shuffling around behind his counter again. 

“Hmm..” Lewis pondered to himself as he turned and exited the shop. 

Later that day Lewis was finishing up his rounds when he saw Robin approaching from the stairs to the north. He gave her a wave but she did not wave back as she stalked towards him. 

“Hey,” She huffed once she was within earshot, “Where’s the new guy? Have you been telling him I overcharge or something? He hasn’t even asked me to fix that railing you murdered yet.” 

“I haven’t told him anything. In fact, I haven’t even seen him since Monday and it seems like no one else has either.” Lewis picked at the end of his mustache, his brow creasing.

“What, really? Like he hasn’t been to town at all? That’s...weird, right? Does he even have food out there?”

“Should we...do you think we should check on him?” Lewis asked. Robin scoffed.

“You can. I’ve got a date with Demetrius that I’m already 10 minutes late for. If he’s not dead bring him to the saloon. He can meet most of the town there.” With that the carpenter turned and walked towards the saloon and Mayor Lewis began the trek to the old farm. 

* * *

The sun was just starting to set as Lewis finally stepped out from behind the treeline and into the farm proper. He couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping at the sight of it. Almost half of the entire property had been cleaned off. All of the trees, grass and rocks that had been directly in front of the house was cleared away. Lewis could see more of the farm than he had in years and it nearly brought a tear to his eye. This much progress didn’t even seem possible for a team of people, let alone one. He could even see a small patch of sprouts sticking out of the soil near the house. The beginnings of a farm already thriving, but where was the farmer? Lewis scanned his eyes over the newly tidied farm until they fell on Wren’s figure slumped half-way up the stairs to his small cabin. 

“Wren!” Lewis shouted as he jogged over to the steps. “Wren, are you alright?” He asked, reaching down to grasp the farmer’s shoulder. 

“Nnn..” Wren grumbled as he raised his head to look at the mayor. 

“Lewis…? What’s up?” He asked, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. He was absolutely covered in dirt and reeked of sweat.

“W-what’s up? Are you insane? Have you been working non-stop since you got here? What have you even been _eating_ since you got here? Pierre said he hasn’t seen you at the store and, well no one has seen you at all! You’ve been here the whole time?”

“Oh...well, I’ve been meanin’ to get into town. I just had so much to do, you know? And I actually figured out how to make these snack things from acorns and pine seeds. They’re...well they’re an acquired taste but they keep me movin’.” Wren slowly got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair causing a cloud of dirt to puff out and he chuckled. 

“Reckon’ I should clean up a little, huh?” He smiled meekly at the Mayor who was looking at him incredulously. 

“Clean up a _lot_ , and then we’ll go to the saloon. You need a proper meal for once this week at least.” Lewis grumbled and then he walked over to inspect the parsnips sprouts more closely. Wren trotted up the stairs and into his home to change. 

About five minutes later he emerged from the small cabin with fresh clothes on and slightly less dirt on his face and arms. The pair of them made their way into town, Wren whistling a jaunty tune as they walked. Lewis pointed out each building as they passed. The clinic, Pierre’s shop and then finally the saloon. He pointed to a few of the surrounding houses and spouted off the names of the people who lived there but Wren wasn’t retaining any of it. As soon as they were approaching the saloon he could smell food, _real_ food, and the only thought in his mind was of getting a mountain of it. 

Once Wren had been introduced to Gus, Lewis took him around to meet a few of the locals while they were waiting for the food. Wren wasn’t able to focus on much other than the way his stomach was gnawing at his backbone, but he tried his best to get through each introduction with a smile. Lewis mentioned that not everyone in town was in attendance and Wren hoped that more people didn’t show up while he was there. He was never great in crowds, and while the saloon wasn’t packed it was still too many people for his liking. He silently hoped that his food would be ready quickly and he could find some quiet corner to eat in. His eyes drifted over to a side room that had a pool table and at least one couch that he could see. That looked pretty ideal to him. 

“Order for Lewis!” Gus bellowed as he placed two large helpings of spaghetti on the bar in front of him. 

“Thank you again for the meal, Lewis. I owe you one.” Wren said, clapping the shorter mayor on the back as they grabbed their plates.

“Sounds like a deal. I’ll let you buy mine after your first harvest.” Lewis gave Wren a curt nod and glanced over at a brunette woman standing near a table by herself. 

“I’m going to go eat with my friend, Marnie, over there. You’re welcome to join…?” The mayor gestured to the table but Wren was already shaking his head. 

“Nah, enjoy your evening. I’m gonna check out the couch situation over that way.” He replied, noting the very obvious blush on Marnie’s face as she eyed the mayor. With one final nod Wren turned to walk towards the sweet sweet isolation that awaited him in the other room. 

Wren sat down slowly on the couch, careful not to spill any sauce as he did, and finally felt his body relax. Everyone there seemed nice enough, but so many introductions at once had almost overwhelmed him. He wasn’t even confident that he could remember the names of everyone he’d met. Still, that would be a problem for another day. Right now he just wanted to shovel this spaghetti into his mouth at an alarming pace and then head back home for the night. Unfortunately, before he’d taken his first bite he heard a voice off to his right. 

“Oh...someone’s here.” A woman’s voice said. She had bright purple hair and two tall men on either side of her. One was blonde and smiling, while the other had black hair and a scowl on his face. 

“Oh! Uh..hey! You new here?” The blonde said, stepping forward while the other two huddled closer together. 

“I’m Sam.” He said, reaching out to shake Wren’s hand. 

“Wren.” The farmer replied, shaking the offered hand and then looking over at the other two.

“Sorry, is this room reserved or somethin’? I can clear out.” He said, standing. He looked again at the dark haired man and it almost felt like his glare pierce right through him. 

“Ah, well kinda? We come here every Friday to play some pool and goof around. It’s not like an official thing.”

“I see.” Wren replied, nodding. There was an uncomfortable silence as Sam glanced back to his friends and then at Wren again. 

“W-well, these two are Abbie and Seb. Er, Abigail and Sebastian.” He motioned to the other two, and Abigail offered a weak wave while Sebastian kept still. Clearly, he was not wanted here. 

“Right, well I’ll just get outta your hair then.” Wren nodded at the other two and then at Sam before starting off back towards the main room.

“Wait, you wanna play with us?” Sam blurted out, earning severe glares from his friends. Wren noticed, and chuckled. 

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t wanna crash your party here.” He declined politely. 

As Wren deliberately passed through the narrow space between Abigail and Sebastian he glanced quickly over at the sullen looking man and gave him a small smile. 

“Evenin’” He muttered, dipping his head towards the man as he passed by. Wren made his way over to the bar for a to-go box and the group watched him leave. 

* * *

“Aw, could have been fun to play with someone new for a change.” Sam pondered sadly. Sebastian scoffed and made his way over to the table to set up for their weekly game. 

“You were just hoping he would suck so you could win for once.” He said, and Abigail laughed as she plopped herself down on the couch lazily. 

“Wha- I was not!” Sam protested. He grabbed two pool cues and threw one of them a little too aggressively at his friend. 

“Calm down or I won’t let you win, Sammy.” Seb smirked back at him and Abigail laughed again. 

Wren listened to her now distant laughter as Gus transferred his pasta from the plate into a small container. Once the lid was secure Gus handed it to him with a smile. 

“Appreciate it.” Wren said, and then he turned quickly on his heel and exited the saloon without another word. As he walked home he wondered why Sebastian’s glare had bothered him so much. By the time he made it home he’d decided it was because his manners were clearly wanting, and Wren wasn’t big on people being rude for no good reason. Still, that wasn’t his problem, and the feeling was all but forgotten by the time he sat down in front of his fireplace and finally started to eat. He felt a sense of nostalgia as he ate and he fondly reminisced on when he spent his meals in the very same spot with his grandfather all those years ago. After he finished the spaghetti he remained sitting for a while and let his mind wander. It had been a week since he’d arrived and while he hadn’t explored anywhere outside of his farm yet, he was proud of the work he’d done so far. He decided he would go back into town tomorrow after some much needed rest, and see what else this place had in store for him. 


End file.
